Pallets are commonly used for storing and transporting goods. The vast majority of pallets in commercial use (approximately 95%) are constructed of wood. While wood pallets are in common use they have various shortcomings. Most wood pallets are transported in assembled form and not constructed from modular components. Wood pallets are relatively heavy, typically on the order of approximately 35 to 50 pounds for a standard size unit. This can significantly increase transportation costs. Also, wood pallets are susceptible to bacterial and chemical contamination and insect infestation which make them unsuitable for some applications. They have a limited useful life and are often discarded as trash along with product wrapping materials and the like.
Pallets constructed from plastic are known in the prior art. Plastic pallets are considerably more durable than wood pallets and may outlast wood pallets by four years or more. Plastic pallets effectively resist chemicals, splintering and rot. Other benefits of plastic pallets include fire retardancy, resistance to odour and the ability to be easily sanitized. The primary drawback to widespread adoption of plastic pallets is cost: plastic pallets can cost ten times or more than wood pallets.
Some lightweight plastic pallets are in use that are formed in a unitary mold. Such pallets are expensive to manufacture and ship and cannot be easily disassembled and recycled after their useful life.
Plastic pallets formed from separate modules or components are also known. For example, European patent publication EP 2407391 published 18 Jan. 2012 discloses a modular and multidimensional plastic pallet comprising individual pieces which can be fitted together using a mortise arrangement without the use of welds. This enables individual plastic pieces to be easily dismantled and replaced.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,998 dated 15 Aug. 1995 similarly discloses a plastic pallet assembly and method having corrugated deckboards which are designed to be releasably fastened to pallet stringers. Thus the deckboards and stringers are not integrally connected together after assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,796 dated 22 Apr. 1975 discloses a knock-down plastic pallet assembly comprising stringers and deck boards which are held in an interlocked relationship by an arrangement of notches and shoulders.
The modular pallets known in the prior art suffer from the disadvantage that they are relatively expensive to manufacture and ship, are formed from an excessive number or size of plastic components, are not readily recyclable and/or are optimized for easy disassembly rather than superior durability and load-carrying characteristics. The need has therefore arisen for improved modular pallets capable of overcoming at least some of the limitations of the prior art.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related thereto are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.